The Relationship between Negative Life Events, Parental Bonding and Anxiety and Related Emotional Disorders in Adolescents 18 Months After Exposed to the Wenchuan Earthquake

Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2013, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (2) : 395-400.

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PDF(492 KB)
Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2013, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (2) : 395-400.

The Relationship between Negative Life Events, Parental Bonding and Anxiety and Related Emotional Disorders in Adolescents 18 Months After Exposed to the Wenchuan Earthquake

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Abstract

Disasters and other traumatic events have long-term effects on human mental health. Numerous studies have reported that anxiety and related emotional disorders are very common among youth after exposed to earthquake. And studies also indicate that recent stressful life events and poor parental bonding relationship increase the risk of anxiety disorders in general population. The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of anxiety and related emotional disorders and to explore the relationship among negative life events, parental bonding and anxiety and related emotional disorders in adolescents 18 months after exposed to the Wenchuan earthquake. This study is a part of the longitudinal study of adolescents’ mental health problem following 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. A total of 1021 senior students were sampled in Dujiangyan, which was seriously damaged by the earthquake. Participants were asked to fill out a self-administrate questionnaire, which includes the Screen for Child Anxiety and Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), the Adolescent Self-rating Life Event Checklist (ASLEC) and general demographics and earthquake exposure. The mean age of the participants was 16.54 years (SD=0.54) at 18 months post the earthquake. Of these students, 57%were female, 82% were only-child, and 61% were urban children. With regards to earthquake exposures, 14% participants reported dead or missing family members in the earthquake, 69% reported their house were severely damaged, and 56% had witnessed the tragic events directly. At 18 months following the earthquake, the prevalence of anxiety and related emotional disorders in adolescents was 41.4%. Student t tests results showed that females (t=-5.96, p<0.001), participants from rural areas (t=3.28, p<0.01), and participants with family member dead in the earthquake (t=2.25, p<0.05) reported more anxiety symptoms. With regards to parents bonding, males perceived more father’s autonomy (t=1.99, p<0.05), only-child perceived more father’s care (t=2.66, p<0.01), urban children perceived more mother’s overprotection (t=-3.29, p<0.01). Multiple regression showed that negative life events (?=0.529, p<0.001), father’s care (?=-0.104, p<0.001), mother’s and father’s overprotection (?=0.16, p<0.001; ?=0.148, p<0.001) were significant predictors of adolescents’ anxiety and related emotional disorders. Our results also indicated that the moderating role of mother's over protection (?=-0.08, p<0.001) and father’s autonomy (?=0.125, p<0.001) between negative life events and anxiety and related emotional disorders was significant. Anxiety disorders are very common among survival adolescents at 18 months following the earthquake. Recent stressful life events and poor parental bonding increase the risk for anxiety; meanwhile parental bonding can moderate the relationship between stressful life event and anxiety. These findings highlight the importance of parents bonding for adolescents’ mental health problems.

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Wenchuan earthquake / Adolescents / Negative life events / Parental Bonding / Anxiety and related emotional disorders

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The Relationship between Negative Life Events, Parental Bonding and Anxiety and Related Emotional Disorders in Adolescents 18 Months After Exposed to the Wenchuan Earthquake[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2013, 36(2): 395-400
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